Press Release - 7/26/05

Pro-family groups oppose amendment to Massachusetts Constitution proposed by VoteOnMarriage.org

Amendment would allow existing same-sex "marriages" to stand - and allow Legislature to create civil unions.

Groups in Massachusetts and across America sign statement.

Waltham, MA, July 26, 2005 - Pro-family groups resisting judicial tyranny and same-sex "marriage" are opposing a new amendment initiative to define marriage in the Massachusetts Constitution. The new proposal, announced by the VoteOnMarriage.org ballot-question committee on June 16, 2005, has yet to be approved by the Massachusetts Attorney General, prior to going to the voters for signatures.

The opposition coalition is made up of groups from Massachusetts and across the country who hope to dissuade them from pursuing their initiative further.

"Not only would this new amendment 'grandfather' in current same-sex marriages, but it allows the Legislature to create domestic partnerships, civil unions, or any kind of substitute 'marriage' legal arrangement it pleases," said Brian Camenker, Director of Article 8 Alliance, the Massachusetts group which prepared the statement.

"Margaret Marshall in her hubris attempted to legislate a social upheaval in the Goodridge decision. It never was valid, and not a whit of acceptance can ever be extended to her unconstitutional edict from the bench," said R.T. Neary, a pro-life, pro-family activist who is also a former president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life.

"In some ways it's even worse than the current Travaglini-Lees compromise, because it implicitly validates the Supreme Judicial Court's ruling as legitimate, which it wasn't. And it continues to give same-sex 'marriage' legitimacy in the society, including the public schools. This could have implications across the country," said Camenker.

On June 16, when the amendment was announced, its proponents stated in their press conference that they would move forward with proposing legal "reciprocal benefits" and later that day Gov. Romney went even further, stating that he would support "domestic partnership benefits" if the amendment were to pass.

"They're clearly compromising for what they believe is political expediency, and that's outrageous when you're dealing with issues as serious as these," added Camenker. "There comes a point when you can't just cave in and claim something's impossible - you have to stand and fight. And a lot of people feel that way." He said that several other groups are in the process of getting approval from their boards to join this coalition.

VoteOnMarriage currently includes the Massachusetts Family Institute, the Massachusetts Catholic Conference, Focus on the Family, and other groups. At least one national group that was originally on the VoteOnMarriage.Org list, Concerned Women for America, has officially dropped off, and other groups, have indicated to Article 8 Alliance they did not know the wording of the amendment when they signed on.

Text of Statement and list of signatories can be found HERE.

For more information contact:

Article 8 Alliance, Waltham, Massachusetts

Ph: 781-899-4905